


Prom Season

by pennysparrow



Series: Flower Shop AU [8]
Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Modern Era, sarah is a good big sister, this was previously posted but apparently ao3 fritzed and deleted it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-25 04:31:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14969177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pennysparrow/pseuds/pennysparrow
Summary: Les has to help out in his family's flower shop the day of his friends' senior prom. When his sister learns that he had been asked she gets her friends to help plot what to do with this new information.Can be read as a stand alone.Was posted but ao3 accidentally deleted it. :(





	Prom Season

**Author's Note:**

> This is really just cause I've been Les in my mom's shop the past two weeks.
> 
> If you commented on the og version then I'm sorry because ao3 accidentally deleted that one when the site wasn't loading last night and I was trying to edit stuff. I still have your lovely comments in my email though! So thank you!

Les looked up from his phone when he heard the door slam. The others paused in their work, sharing glances before turning back to what they were doing. Sarah stormed back a few seconds later, shaking her head.

“That guy just slammed the door at me! Because we’re out of white roses! There’s our white roses,” she gestured to the garbage box, her arm flinging out viciously and nearly hitting her hand on the counter, “he can dig them out himself if he really wants to!”

Les blinked at her, not moving from where he had settled himself on her counter. “I think we all heard the door slam. I think that Bubbe and Zayda felt it all the way up on the third floor.”

“Your sass isn’t as cute at sixteen as it was at ten,” Sarah said dryly.

Les shrugged and peered toward the garbage box. “Those don’t look so bad.”

“Trust me, they’re no good. If we sold them he’d just be back in here in a few days complaining they were dead,” Sarah said as she wrinkled her nose. She turned back to look at Les when his phone buzzed. He typed out a quick response and didn’t move despite his older sister’s pointed stare. “Little brother dear? You planning on removing your butt from my workspace anytime soon?”

“You planning on being a nice person anytime soon?” Les shot back with a wicked smile.

Sarah raised her eyebrows and Les would never tell her but he was struck with how similar the gaze was to their mother’s. He desperately wanted to squirm but that would’ve given it away. “If you’re going to be in the way you might as well do something useful. Bucket brigade, go.”

He gave an overdramatic sigh, instigating laughs from the shop’s other employees, and heaved himself off of Sarah’s counter. Les wandered over to the sink where the stacks of dirty buckets were crowded. He grabbed the dish soap and squirted a liberal amount into the one on top. Enough that had his mother been supervising him she would have scolded him for the waste and mess of bubbles that was sure to result. Les didn’t really care though, what was the point of scrubbing buckets if you weren’t going to play with the soap bubbles? He filled the bucket with hot water, resulting in an overwhelming amount of foam that made him smile just to look at, and stuck the toilet brush into it to start cleaning. The brush had never actually seen the inside of a toilet, thankfully, as it had been purchased from the dollar store for this exact purpose. When Les was younger he had thought that scrubbing buckets was the sole purpose of toilet brushes.

“When you’re done you can run the register. That way I don’t have to listen to all the moms saying how their little baby is all grown up,” Sarah said as she nudged him to the side so she could get to the sink. “Plus, we’ve got a funeral to work on.” She jerked her chin to motion to the other two women in the shop as she turned off the water.

“Why couldn’t David work prom day?”

“Because he has a date and you don’t,” Sarah teased lightly.

Les wrinkled his nose and set about scrubbing slightly more viciously. “For once,” he muttered darkly.

“Besides, it’s the senior prom and you’re only a junior. You’ll go next year, relax. And this way you’re _required_ to talk to your friends. I always loved working prom,” Sarah sounded empathetic now and Les paused in his task to glance at her. She was looking back at him, a tight smile pulling at her lips.

“I’m not upset about not going,” Les shot his sister a weird look. He could honestly care less about prom as a whole. Not to mention the fact that he had been asked by his friend Sally the week before but the ticket she was trying to get for him ended up falling through. He’d only felt bad because she seemed genuinely upset that he couldn’t come. Not that Les had told Sarah any of this – his parents didn’t even know – but that was beside the point.

Sarah shrugged and breezed past him to the cooler. She came back and went right to work, so Les turned back to his task and let his mind wander. He really _didn’t_ mind that she hadn’t been able to get the ticket. For one, he hadn’t planned on. For another, all of his friends had dates as far as he was aware so he really hadn’t been expecting to be asked. Finally, growing up in a flower shop meant that Les knew you should be planning for prom by the end of March at the latest so that you had all you ducks in a row by the actual date; so being asked the week before had really surprised him.

He’d been so wrapped up in his own thoughts Les barely noticed that he was rinsing the soap out of the last bucket until Sarah said, “Oh good, you’re done. Grab David’s apron, it’s on the back of the basement door, and go work the front counter. It’s almost time for people to start coming in for pick-ups.”

Les nodded and did as his sister asked, slipping the loop of the apron over his head and deftly tying the strings behind his back as he gingerly made his way to the front of the shop – avoiding full buckets and funeral pieces and florists as he went. He took up his station behind the register and began fiddling with his brother’s nametag. He slipped the pin off and turned it over to look at it more closely as Les couldn’t for the life of him ever remember seeing David or anyone in the shop wearing a nametag.

It was just a simple pin, the type made with a button maker where you made a design on paper and then squeezed it between a piece of plastic and the metal backing and voila! Pin. Les’s suspicion that Jack had made it was confirmed by the fact that the careful script spelled out “Davey” and that in miniscule letters that created the border it read “The Walking Mouth.” A nickname of David’s from high school that Sarah had gleefully shared with their friends once they finally got the other boys to explain their own nicknames. And one that Spot had instantly latched onto and Jack had found endlessly amusing.

He smiled to himself and slipped the pin into the apron’s front pocket. Les knew that the moms that would be coming in were going to be bad enough without them calling him “Davey” on top of it.

The shop’s bell jingled and Les glanced up. He grinned as one of his friends ducked in and waved. As soon as Les’s friend walked in it was like the floodgates opened and he spent the next hour or so running back and forth to the cooler, punching in prices and making change, demonstrating where and how the boutonnieres should be pinned and which wrist the corsage should be on, and lecturing people about not putting the flowers in the fridge with any apples.

There was finally a lull in the customers and he could hear Sarah coming to check on him. She must have just reached the doorway because he never did see her when the bell went and the door opened again.

Les turned to the incoming customer and froze. Sally was turning to shut the door. She caught sight of him and grinned. Les just blinked. Her hair had been twisted up into an intricate pattern with any loose strands perfectly curled. Her makeup reminded him of a movie star and the smile she was turning on him made Les feel like he was pinned in a spotlight. Les could only imagine how pretty she was going to be tonight when wearing a gown and heels if she looked this good in a plaid button-down, shorts, and flip-flops.

“Hi Les!” Sally chirped as she settled herself in front of the counter.

“Hey Sally, you look amazing,” he said now that she had snapped him out of the slight daze he’d gone into. “Give me a sec and I’ll grab your flowers.”

He turned toward the cooler before he could see her reaction, but he could still hear her response over the hum of the cooler. “Thanks. I’m still really sorry about you not being able to come with me. I know the whole thing was super last minute but I wish it would’ve worked out.” When Les turned back to her she was worrying at her lower lip.

He shrugged and popped the plastic case open, gingerly taking the corsage out and showing it to her. Les began to give her the spiel, despite the fact that he could feel his cheeks heating up. She listened intently and took the small plastic box when he passed it to her.

“So how much do I owe you?” Sally asked, reaching toward her purse.

“It’s on the house,” Sarah said, swooping up beside Les with a smile. He shot his sister a questioning glance.

“Are you sure?” Sally asked, looking between Sarah and Les.

“Positive,” Sarah waved her off as she again reached toward her purse.

Sally relented with a smile. “Well thanks! That’s really too sweet of you.”

“Have fun tonight,” Sarah told her cheerfully.

“Yeah, uh, take lots of pictures. I know you’re going to look fantastic,” Les told her, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

“Don’t worry, I will. Thank you so much! Bye Les!” And with that Sally headed out the door, waving at them one last time over her shoulder.

As soon as the door closed behind her Sarah turned to Les and grabbed him by his shoulders. “Les! Did she ask you to prom?”

Les blinked, a little rattled by how hard Sarah had shaken him as she talked. “Uh. Yeah? But she wasn’t able to get the ticket then.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Cause she wasn’t able to get the ticket?”

“Well, did you want to go to prom?” Sarah had finally released him, for which Les was endlessly grateful.

“I mean, maybe? And anyway, it’s not like I have a suit or anything. So it’s irrelevant,” Les told her. He turned to stare out the shop’s front window, watching the people passing by on the street.

“Les, did you maybe want to go with her?” Sarah’s voice had gotten softer, her tone the kind she only used when trying to comfort her brothers.

He squirmed slightly and Sarah threw her arm around his shoulders. “I- I don’t know. When she asked me I just said yes because that’s what you do when your friend asks you to prom.”

“And what about now?”

“I kinda hate that I’m not taking her to her senior prom,” Les whispered, finally saying what had been nagging at the back of his mind ever since Sally walked in the shop. If he was really being honest with himself, what he’d been suppressing since she told him that she hadn’t been able to get a second ticket.

Sarah squeezed him in a one-armed hug; pressing a quick kiss into his hair. “I have an idea brother dearest.”

Les shrugged his sister off of him and turned to look at Sarah. He raised an eyebrow, not quite sure what she might suddenly be plotting but still curious. Sarah had a history of coming up with sly ideas and Les had learned not to doubt her. However, this was the first time the outcome of whatever she was planning might directly affect him.

“Do you trust me?”

Les swallowed and nodded. “Yeah. I do.”

Sarah beamed and turned away, practically running back into the workroom. “Excellent! I’ve got some phone calls to make! Text her and a couple of your friends, tell them that you have a surprise for them for after prom.”

Les chuckled and shook his head but he did as Sarah asked. His friends’ responses were excited and curious. He texted Sally and then immediately shoved his phone back into the apron’s pocket, hearing it clank softly against David’s nametag. The door opened and another customer walked in, diverting Les’s attention.

About an hour later Les was helping Sarah lock up the shop. She was practically jumping up and down with excitement at whatever it was that she’d gotten him into. Les just raised his eyebrow and tried not to laugh as he turned to head upstairs to the apartment.

“Oh no you don’t,” Sarah caught his arm before he could do more than open the door to the stairwell however. “You’re coming with me and we’re going to Medda’s. Did you text your friends that I would be picking them up after prom?”

“Yeah. Why are we going to Medda’s?” Les followed after Sarah as she led them out of the alley and toward the subway.

“Because, I talked to David, Jack, and Katherine and we’re throwing you guys a post-prom prom. So that you can slow dance with Sally.” Sarah grinned at him and Les felt his stomach drop. Between her words and that sharp smile Les was suddenly more than a little concerned with what was going to happen over the course of the next few hours.

They got to the theater and Les was almost immediately assaulted with questions by the small crowd gathered there waiting for them. It seemed that the help Sarah had enlisted had enlisted help of their own in the form of Racetrack, Spot, and Crutchie. And that the six of them were all sitting on the edge of Medda’s stage while the theater owner laughed at them from the light booth.

“So this girl Sally,” Race waggled his eyebrows suggestively and Les felt his face flush.

“Sarah!” he turned and elbowed his sister sharply in the side.

“Les, relax. We’re only teasing you,” David said, obviously trying to just placate his slightly over dramatic little brother while the others all laughed.

Jack pushed himself to his feet and clapped his hands. “Welp, let’s do this thing. Spot, Kath, Sarah, you’re with me on decorating. Davey you’re with Medda on music. Racer and Crutch, you two go turn Les into a prince charming.”

“Um, excuse you? I’m a catch,” Les snarked back as the group started to disperse.

“Uh, not dressed like that you’re not,” Crutchie informed him as he grabbed Les’s arm and headed back up the aisle.

Les spluttered but let Crutchie start pulling him towards the dressing rooms. Race was laughing as he trailed after them. The two had pooled all their dress clothes for Les to try on. That between them there would be some combination that would fit the younger boy to make a nice outfit. After a lot of tries they finally got Les looking dapper; resulting in Crutchie and Race high-fiving as Les tugged his vest straight and fiddled with his suspenders.

“Now do I look like the catch that I am?” Les teased them.

“I mean, you’re not me but I guess you’ll do,” Crutchie laughed as he reached out to ruffle Les’s hair. Resulting in him failing in his attempt to duck away and cause Race to nearly double over laughing.

Race straightened up with a deep breath. “Sorry, that was just too good. Woo. As if we don’t all know that I’m the real catch. I mean, have you seen this t-shirt? It’s made out of boyfriend material.” Les barely suppressed his groan and caught Crutchie rolling his eyes.

“On that note,” Crutchie said as he opened the dressing room door, “let’s go see how your boyfriend is doing on the decorating.”

The three made their way through the halls backstage and ended up in the wings. Les paused while the other two walked right onto the stage. He was taken aback by what had been done to the theater in their absence. The house lights had been turned off and the stage was lit with a warm, soft glow. Huge string lights had been draped between flies and a backdrop of twinkling lights had been lowered. Everything glowed and glittered and there was fabric draperies and low couches and Les was just in awe.

“So what d’ya think?” Jack asked, appearing next to Les.

“This is insane. How did you do this?”

Jack let out a low chuckle. “It’s kinda my job kid.” Les glanced over at him with a frown and a glare, making Jack snort. “This is all stuff that Medda had from past shows, we really just set it up. No big deal.”

Shaking his head Les just grinned at Jack. “Still. It looks amazing.”

“You don’t look half bad yourself,” Jack clapped him on the shoulder and nodded at the outfit that the other boys had put him in. Someone called Jack’s name from the other side of the stage and he shot a grin at Les before heading onstage.

Les took a deep breath and followed after Jack. He paused before he got to the cluster of people that were standing center stage and looked out at the darkened theater. “Wow,” he breathed.

“Lookin’ good little man!” Medda called from the light booth and Les felt himself blush again as everyone turned to see him. Katherine clapped and cooed while Sarah pulled out her phone to snap a picture. The boys all called compliments and Les waved them off.

“Ok, how’s the music coming?” Jack yelled up to David and Medda. The next thing Les knew the Time Warp from Rocky Horror Picture Show filled the space and everyone started laughing while Race immediately started singing along. David walked down the aisle with a wicked grin before climbing up onto the stage.

“If we’re test running for an after-prom party then we need to dance,” David shrugged.

“You’re so lame,” Les told his brother but he joined in as they all took a step to the right and put their hands on their hips and put their knees in tight. By the time the song ended Les was laughing and some of his nerves had dispersed.

Feeling his phone buzz in his pocket Les pulled it out and felt his stomach drop. Sally had texted him that they were all willing to leave whenever his sister got there to lead them to the “big surprise” he was planning. Les showed the text to his sister, resulting in her giving him an excited smile.

Sarah gave him a quick hug. “Ok folks, I’m gonna go get the kids. Make yourselves scarce.”

“I thought that a good prom had obvious chaperones,” Spot smirked.

“Oh leave him alone,” Katherine scolded him, a wide smile on her lips. “C’mon, we’ll go hang out in the balcony.” With that Sarah headed to meet up with Les’s friends and Kath shooed the boys offstage.

Les began pacing the stage, whatever playlist David and Medda had devised was upbeat but did nothing to stop his growing nerves. When Sarah texted him that they were headed back his heart began to race. When she again let him know that they’d gotten off the subway and were almost at the theater Les’s heart jumped to his throat.

He heard one of the doors open at the back of the theater and turned to look. A group of people were backlit coming in from the lobby and he could hear their murmurs and gasps of delight. Les grinned as they rushed down the aisle toward the stage. His friend Boots was the first to bound up the steps and join Les on the stage.

“Man, this is nuts! How’d you pull this off?” He asked as they performed their intricate handshake.

“I’ve got some pretty great siblings who’ve got some really cool friends,” Les smiled and shrugged.

“Well they’re my new favorite people and I need to meet them,” Boots grinned.

“Ok, you can some play frisbee with us tomorrow morning.”

“Just tell me when and where,” Boots said as his date pulled him away to dance.

Les was surrounded by the rest of his friends, all of them thanking him for inviting them and gushing about how cool this all was. Once they had all moved on he turned and there stood Sally. She was positively beaming at him in her deep plum colored gown, the stage lights making her jewelry sparkle.

“Les, this is amazing. Did you do all of this?” She asked.

“I can’t take the credit, it was my siblings and their friends,” Les admitted.

Sally smiled and shook her head. “You pulled off a prom even better than the one I just came from. I don’t really care who planned it and helped, I’m still impressed.”

Les shrugged and he could feel his cheeks heating up. “Well then let’s not waste it. Do you want to dance with me?”

“I would love to.”

  



End file.
